Neither snow nor sleet nor rain was falling on Red Bank as of 6 a.m. Wednesday. But school closings, event postponements and a state of emergency declared by New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy had the region braced for a storm named ‘Toby’ that could dump some 15 inches of heavy, soggy snow on the area throughout the day.
The fourth coastal storm of March, Toby was expected to begin as a wintry mix of precipitation Wednesday morning before turning into a snowfall around midday, with accumulations of up to three inches per hour through early evening, according to the National Weather Service.
The weight of the snow, combined with wind gusts up to 39 miles per hour, posed a danger of falling tree limbs and power lines, with electrical outages possible. Travel conditions were expected to be “very difficult to impossible” during the late afternoon.
Here’s the extended forecast:
Wednesday
Rain and snow, becoming all snow after 11am. The snow could be heavy at times. High near 36. Breezy, with a northeast wind 21 to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 39 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 6 to 10 inches possible.
Wednesday Night
Snow, mainly before 1am. The snow could be heavy at times. Low around 32. Breezy, with a north wind around 23 mph, with gusts as high as 33 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of 3 to 7 inches possible.
Thursday
Mostly cloudy, with a high near 42. Breezy, with a northwest wind 17 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph.
Thursday Night
Mostly cloudy, with a low around 30. Northwest wind 11 to 14 mph.
Friday
A slight chance of rain and snow showers before 2pm, then a slight chance of rain showers between 2pm and 5pm, then a slight chance of rain and snow showers after 5pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 42. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Friday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 31.
Saturday
Sunny, with a high near 44.
Saturday Night
Mostly cloudy, with a low around 32.
Sunday
Partly sunny, with a high near 42.
Sunday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 31.
Monday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 43.
Monday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 32.
Tuesday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 48.